Syngonium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical rainforests in southern Mexico, the West Indies, and Central and South America. They are vines growing to heights of 10–20 m or more in trees. Their leaves change shape according to the plant's stage of growth; adult leaf forms are often much more lobed than the juvenile forms usually seen on small house plants. The scientific name of the genus comes from the Greek words σύν (syn - plus, z) and γονή (gone - gonada) and refers to the fused ovaries of female flowers.
Cultivation
Syngonium species are often grown as house plants, usually only in the juvenile foliage stages. They thrive in warm and humid conditions. Syngonium podophyllum is the most commonly cultivated species, and is often referred to simply as Syngonium. They are easy to propagate in water or soil through cuttings that include a node.
Distribution
Syngonium species generally inhabit tropical rainforests, subtropical forests, thickets, urban areas, and wetlands. Invasive species are also troublesome weeds, such as in banana fields.
Syngonium species are native to tropical America, where they are found from Mexico to Brazil. The center of diversity of the genus is in Costa Rica and Panama, where there are 16 species (13 in Costa Rica and 11 in Panama). The second greatest species diversity is in Mexico, with eight species. The most widespread species is S. podophyllum, which ranges from Mexico to Brazil. It is believed that the Mexican and Costa Rican populations of Syngonium have long been separated, which led to morphological differences in the populations of the same species (e.g. S. podophyllum and S. macrophyllum).
Syngonium podophyllum has been introduced as an ornamental groundcover in American Samoa, Australia, Micronesia, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, Florida, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Easter Island, Rota, Solomon Islands, and on Christmas...
